


Day 4: Here Comes Santa Claus

by Hapkido9061



Series: 25 Cliché Days of Christmas [4]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, And Secretary Yixing, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Kid!Chanyeol, Kid!Jongin, Kid!Sehun, M/M, This is my favorite so far, XiuChen - Freeform, adorableness, doctor Joonmyun, kid!Baekhyun, volunteers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 11:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16853350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hapkido9061/pseuds/Hapkido9061
Summary: “Santa?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes shining. “Fat man!”“Yup. But he’ll only come if you go to sleep. All right?”“Good night, Chanyeol.”“Shh! I’m asleepin’!”Or...Where boyfriends Minseok and Jongdae volunteer on Christmas night at the children's hospital. The excitement is obvious in everyone, making for a cheerful night.





	Day 4: Here Comes Santa Claus

**Author's Note:**

> Man I hate summaries... but another cute oneshot for Christmas! The protocol that Jongdae and Minseok follow at the hospital probably isn't completely correct, but let's ignore that in favor of cuddles :P

“Hey Dae! Wait up!”

Jongdae turned to see Minseok bounding up to him with a backpack hanging off his shoulders. Jongdae smiled at his boyfriend and the adorable sight of his hair poking out in tufts from under a beanie. He had to physically restrain himself from kissing him more than a simple peck right then and there.

“Working on classes?” Jongdae asked as he pulled back, gesturing to the overstuffed bag. Minseok huffed out a breath as he nodded. Jongdae knew the feeling all too well. “Damn… on Christmas Eve too. That sucks.”

“Thank God we’re volunteering today. I need a break.”

“And what better way than spending it with me!”

“Nah. The babies are better.” Minseok stuck out his tongue, earning a light punch to the arm.

Jongdae opened the door into the Pediatrics ICU wing of the hospital and let Minseok in first. They stopped by and chatted with Yixing at the reception desk while signing in. The hours they earned here were certainly going to help the both of them get into their dream medical school once undergraduate was finished. Otherwise, all those sleepless nights studying useless weed out classes would go to waste.

“Who do we have tonight?” Jongdae asked as he passed the pen over to Minseok to sign the sheet.

Even though it was 8 PM, and would soon be heading into the early hours of the morning, Jongdae didn’t feel tired at all. Minseok certainly wouldn’t either. He was the definition of a night owl. Together, they always took on the overnight volunteering shift. Minseok reached over the counter to plop his backpack down by Yixing’s feet for safe keeping.

“It’s past dinner and normal visiting hours so…” Yixing trailed off as he logged onto the form online and found the sheet of patients. “Most everyone’s parents are staying over tonight, for obvious reasons.”

He clicked through his computer where the visitors were registered. It was Christmas Eve night and most of the children were with their mothers and fathers and whatever siblings they had to celebrate. Jongdae felt thankful that many of the kids were able to have that. But, there were always the few that were here by themselves no matter it being ‘the most magical night of the year’. “It looks like… rooms 1030, 1019, 1028, and 1003 are the only ones without visitors tonight.”

Jongdae mentally went through the list of rooms. The two of them had been volunteering long enough that the rooms without many visitors became familiar. These four were the most common, so much that the kids looked forward to his and Minseok’s visits before bedtime.

“Oh! And before you start, Junmyeon will be around early in the morning, midnight or one maybe, to deliver presents. Don’t be shocked if he pops in.”

Minseok smiled at the memory of the head doctor riding around on a decked out electric wheelchair (reserved for patients, but they certainly weren’t going to tattle), and giving a handful of donated presents to all the children. If they were lucky, Junmyeon would spare his favorite duo of volunteers a few candy canes. Yixing wished them a Merry Christmas before turning back to his own work of filling out charts and patient info.

Between the two, they really only had to watch over five patients in the four rooms. Really, they were just there to handle any diaper changes, feeding for the littlest ones, or simple crying so the nurses wouldn’t be overwhelmed with mundane tasks. It was the least they could do. Thinking back to which rooms that Yixing listed, the oldest child wasn’t even over five years old.

In room 1030 were the one-year old twins Sehun and Jongin. Their family’s home had burned down in the middle of the night, leaving the two with many third degree burns and infections on top of that; the latter injury landed them in the ICU rather than the burn unit. Based on what Yixing had hinted at, these two were the only survivors by some miracle.

Next was room 1028 with Kyungsoo suffering from some kind of kidney failure. Jongdae loved playing bored games with him simply because he was such a quiet kid that didn’t try to rip his medical lines out every minute. Kyungsoo was always polite beyond his years. His parents visited as often as they could but had been overseas last time Jongdae checked.

Room 1019 housed Baekhyun, a three-year-old little boy. He was admitted shortly ago after a suspicious ‘car accident’ with broken bones and a nasty head injury, resulting in a loss of hearing. Baekhyun’s parents never came other than to sign paper work and to admit him that first night. They didn’t even stop by the night Baekhyun had surgery. Jongdae made sure to give the boy plenty of attention when he stopped by.

Chanyeol was last in 1003 with the heart condition TAPVC. While his parents were holding off the surgery, he developed endocarditis, pushing the surgery to be sooner. They had to get the infection down before any surgery was going to happen, but it had been more stubborn than anyone was planning. Hence why Chanyeol had been here much longer than he normally would have been.

As heart breaking as their stories were, Jongdae had no doubt that Junmyeon and his team of doctors could heal them back to perfect health until they were running around, playing like the toddlers they were. He trusted them, and hoped that someday, he would be trusted in that sense too.

Minseok nudged Jongdae on the shoulder as they made their way to the rooms. “I’ll take Kyungsoo and the twins if you can get Chanyeol and Baekhyun?”

“Works for me,” Jongdae said with a smile. They were easy kids to watch over. Chanyeol may have been a bit harder, but only because he had to wear a face mask when around the boy to keep him from catching another infection that Jongdae may be carrying.

Jongdae ended up in Chanyeol’s room first as it was the closest to the front desk. Minseok continued down the hall to Kyungsoo’s and the twin’s rooms. Jongdae grabbed a surgical mask from the stash outside to put on. He gave a quick knock on the door before peeking his head in. The entire room was decked out in Christmas lights with a small artificial tree decorated in the corner. A handful of presents sat under the tree that the little boy miraculously hadn’t ripped open yet. Chanyeol caught a sight of him and broke into a toothy grin.

“Hey buddy!” Jongdae chirped as he closed the door behind him.

“Hey buddy!” Chanyeol repeated back. He was only two and loved repeating whatever the adults around him said. Especially Jongdae and Minseok. The two volunteered almost every day, so it was no surprise how attached the kids had become to them. Coming from a rich families certainly had their benefits, but Jongdae and Minseok both felt like if they didn’t have to work to pay for college, then they would volunteer to make use of their free time.

Jongdae plopped himself down on the floor across from where Chanyeol was playing. “What’re you doing?”

Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders and continued with his ministrations. He was propped up in a corner fort made of blankets and pillows that they had constructed on his last visit. A toy truck was held tightly in one hand while the other had something that Jongdae couldn’t make out.

“Can I see what you have in your hand?” Chanyeol reached out and wiped whatever it was in his hand before playing again. Jongdae was given a sticky glob of half eaten fruit snacks, most likely from dinner. He sighed but couldn’t find it in his heart to be annoyed at Chanyeol. Instead, he washed his hand and found a wet wipe to clean Chanyeol’s as well before every toy in the vicinity became coated in the sticky snack.

“How long stayin’?” Chanyeol mumbled once Jongdae threw away the wipe.

“Well it is almost bedtime. Your nurse will be in soon. But I’ll play with you for a while!”

Chanyeol sighed deeply for a two-year-old. He attempted to crawl out of his fort to sit in Jongdae’s lap but got his IV’s tangled. “Hold on there, buddy,” Jongdae mumbled under his breath as he helped to get the boy out. Chanyeol was known to rip lines out just on accident. He held the numerous wires connected to Chanyeol’s arm and chest in one hand while pulling his body close with the other.

Once Chanyeol was settled in his lap, Jongdae amused him by playing with all the other toy cars spread throughout the room. There was definitely more than one. The room was dimmed for the night save for the Christmas lights and blinking monitors, giving it a sense of wonder. Jongdae was a little in awe of how pretty it looked.

Chanyeol coughed harshly, breaking the moment. His body slumped against Jongdae’s in exhaustion. “That’s our sign for bedtime, huh?” Jongdae asked the boy. Chanyeol grunted. “Little boys need their sleep too.”

“I’m not little!”

It was getting later in the evening, close to when Chanyeol should go to sleep. Jongdae ruffled his hair as he placed him on the bed. The toddler ran his hands over the Iron Man blanket covering the thin hospital sheets. Jongdae changed his diaper, finishing up right as the evening nurse came in to administer antibiotics and change the IV line.

Before he could go, Chanyeol latched onto Jongdae’s shirt. When he tried to pry the little hands free, Chanyeol whined and held on tighter. Jongdae tutted, running a hand through his hair.

“I’ll stay until the nurse is done, okay Channie?” The little boy nodded. His grip didn’t weaken. Jongdae looked to the nurse to see if it was okay and received a little thumbs-up. Usually, Chanyeol would start crying when she had to take the current IV out of his arm and replace it with a new one. But with Jongdae holding him, he just buried his face into the man’s chest as Jongdae held his arm out to keep it steady.

She finished her job as quickly as possible, telling the both of them goodnight before moving on to the next patient. It was no secret she was grateful that Chanyeol didn’t burst out into tears just at the sight of her.

“Do you know what tomorrow is, Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked after he managed to tuck the boy into bed underneath his pile of blankets. He shook his head. “It’s Christmas! That means Santa is going to visit and bring presents that you get to open in the morning.”

“Santa?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes shining. “Fat man!”

Jongdae laughed out loud, startling Chanyeol a bit at the loud sound. “Yup. But he’ll only come if you go to sleep. All right?”

Chanyeol nodded, pulling the blanket over his head until only a few strands of hair could be seen. Jongdae chuckled to himself. “Good night, Chanyeol.”

“Shh! I’m asleepin’!”

"Of course, Chanyeol. I certainly believe you," he joked.

Jongdae wanted to hug the toddler so badly, tightly to his chest and never let go. He settled instead for giving another pat down on Chanyeol’s leg before heading out of the room. His mask was thrown in the sterile garbage can sitting outside the door. He stretched his arms above his head and smiled.

If every Christmas could be spent like this, then he would eternally be happy.

The next child that Jongdae would spend time with was Baekhyun. He wanted to at least get some time in before the kids all went to sleep. The way down to room 1019 was short, his and Chanyeol’s rooms fairly close to each other. Luckily, he didn’t have to wear any special protection when visiting Baekhyun. Jongdae let himself into the room, knowing that he wouldn’t be heard anyways.

When he was in the room, Jongdae smiled at the sight of Christmas lights strung up like in Chanyeol’s room. Baekhyun was sitting on his bed and attempting to color in a book with his left hand as his right was still in a cast. For a three year old using his non dominant hand, Baekhyun was very skilled at coloring inside the lines. Multiple wires were hooked up to his arm and more travelling to his head wrapped in bandages. To catch his attention, Jongdae blinked the overhead lights a few times.

Baekhyun turned his attention to the door, giggling when he saw Jongdae messing over by the lights. “Daedae no!”

“Yes Hyunnie! It’s pretty in here, did the volunteers decorate?” He didn’t receive an answer, just a stare. While he couldn’t understand him, Jongdae still tried to speak as if Baekhyun could understand him so he could see his lips move. The man had attempted to begin learning sign language with Minseok and then help to teach Baekhyun as well. So far, they knew the most basic of words, but it still was better than no words at all. Jongdae would rather have a million conversations over pigs and cows rather than leave Baekhyun alone in silence.

Jongdae came over and pulled a chair up to the side of Baekhyun’s bed. He took note of the full antibiotic bag hung from the IV line. The nightly nurse for Baekhyun must have already stopped by when he was with Chanyeol.

“Dae, closer. Want hugs,” Baekhyun whined as he plopped the markers he was using onto his lap. He held both arms out in a pleading motion and kicked his legs the best he could with one being splinted up to his thigh. Jongdae chuckled at the cuteness, squeezing in onto the bed behind the boy. He made sure to keep the IV lines and various monitors out of the way so they wouldn’t get kinked. One hand lifted Baekhyun’s head up gently as the other came around to pull the blanket up around both of them.

As he carefully lowered Baekhyun’s bandaged head back down to his chest, Jongdae moved the coloring book back to his seat.

“You just want cuddles tonight, huh?” Jongdae asked. Baekhyun leaned in close to feel the vibrations as he talked and giggled at the sensation. Jongdae smiled softly at his antics. The little boy yawned and came up to grab at Jongdae’s fingers to hold. He must really be tired if he was just wanting to cuddle and not play any games or watch cartoons . “Do you know what tonight is?”

Baekhyun sighed. Jongdae pulled his hands free from Baekhyun’s and sat up to balance the boy against him, wary of the leg cast. He signed words that he was sure the boy knew.

-Tonight. Santa. Come. You. Have. Present.-

-Present?- Baekhyun signed the best he could with both hands.

-Sleep. Wake up. Present. Here.- Jongdae signed back as he spoke the same words out loud. Baekhyun’s eyes lit up, head turning to stare at the lights and mini tree also set up in his room. While Chanyeol’s were multicolored, Baekhyun’s all had a red and green theme. It was something built into the biology of kids- they all were excited over Christmas.

“Sing?” Baekhyun asked as he curled in tighter to Jongdae’s chest. The man began to sing quietly, turning Baekhyun’s head so one ear could lay flat against his chest to feel the vibrations easier.

Jongdae kept an eye on the door once Baekhyun fell to a deep sleep on his chest. There wasn’t much that he could do without moving Baekhyun off; he texted Minseok to ask if he needed anything, but his boyfriend was fine. Apparently, Kyungsoo had been talkative tonight over his excitement of Santa coming. They even set out extra cookies.

Baekhyun’s mouth hung open, letting out little whines like a puppy as he slept. Jongdae cooed at the sight. There was drool staining his short, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to mind.

Dr. Junmyeon would be coming by in a little over an hour based on his phone’s clock. He could wait until then and leave to check back up on Chanyeol, maybe talk to Yixing for a bit, restock the family snack cupboard. It was a quiet night with so many parents being allowed to stay the night. If anything, Jongdae may have a chance to catch up on some writing needed for next semester.

It wasn’t until Junmyeon cracked the door open that Jongdae realized he had been dosing himself. The warmth and steady breathing of Baekhyun on his chest and the twinkling lights lulled him to sleep. He offered the doctor a wave as he attempted to scoot Baekhyun off him without hurting the boy. Jongdae did, but the exact moment Junmyeon (decked out in a full Santa costume, the man was committed) placed the few gifts under the tree, Baekhyun sneezed. He woke himself up with the sneeze, rubbing at his eyes.

Baekhyun froze at the sight of Santa. “Santa!”

The doctor held a finger up to his lips to keep Baekhyun from calling out his name again. If the other kids woke up at the sound, then the magic of getting presents in the idle of the night could be lost.

Jongdae stayed to the side where Baekhyun couldn’t see him, not wanting to intrude on the moment. He slipped out of the room as Junmyeon was showing Baekhyun what all was in his bag. The doctor certainly knew how to act around children and to make them feel special.

Jongdae was on his way back to Yixing’s desk when Minseok came jogging down from the other side of the hallway. “Oh good, you’re done with Chan and Baek. Can you come help me with Sehun and Jongin? I swear, one cries and the other starts the exact same moment,” Minseok said out of breath.

“Of course!”

Minseok pecked his boyfriend on the cheek. “Thank you.”

 “I just hope you know that I want kids just so I can give them all the cuddles and Christmas presents.”

Minseok giggled before opening the door to where Sehun and Jongin _had_ been sleeping through their Christmas night. Jongdae reached for Sehun, wrapping the baby in his blanket and making sure his bandages weren’t rubbed too much. He quieted down in the warm arms. Minseok smiled from behind Jongdae.

“Me too.”


End file.
